Background
He was born on 1 December 1954 in Hollywood, Worcestershire. The son of a newsagent, Dedicoat was educated at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys in Birmingham, and the University of Birmingham.
He was born on 1 December 1954 in Hollywood, Worcestershire. The son of a newsagent, Dedicoat was educated at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys in Birmingham, and the University of Birmingham.
University of Birmingham.
Until March 2015 he also read the news on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 2. Dedicoat is also known as the announcer on British Broadcasting Corporation One"s Strictly Come Dancing and its American version, Dancing with the Stars. Dedicoat originally worked in the Civil Service as an Executive Officer before joining the British Broadcasting Corporation. Dedicoat joined British Broadcasting Corporation Radio Birmingham at Pebble Mill in 1979 as a presenter, before moving to British Broadcasting Corporation Radio Devon four years later.
After his time in the West Country, he moved to London to join the Presentation Department of British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 2 at Broadcasting House, and later became its head, a position he retained until his semi-retirement on Friday 27 March 2015.
As part of this job, he read the news on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 2"s weekday breakfast programme, Wake Up to Wogan, before its demise in December 2009, as well as on Sarah Kennedy"s show until she left the station in 2010. He then became the newsreader for Vanessa Feltz and on Sundays, but following a reshuffle of newsreaders in late 2012, his final shift was reading the news on weekdays between 10am and 5pm.
He is also the voices of Radio 2"s "emergency Civil Defense" (played when there is a fire alarm or other unforeseen break in programming) and their multiple choice automatic phone menu. After 28 years at the station, Dedicoat"s final news bulletin on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 2 was at 5pm on Friday 27 March 2015.
He will however continue voicing on the Lottery and Strictly Come Dancing.
lieutenant was as part of Wake up to Wogan that Dedicoat acquired the nicknames "Voice of the Balls" and "Deadly" from Terry Wogan, the latter by way of a deliberate Spoonerism - "Deadly Alancoat". On television, as well as his role on the National Lottery programmes, he also takes part in the British Broadcasting Corporation"s telethons such as Children in Need, announcing the totals at certain intervals and also voicing previews and the voice-overs in Strictly Come Dancing on British Broadcasting Corporation One. Since 2005, Dedicoat has been the announcer for Dancing with the Stars, the American version of Strictly Come Dancing which broadcasts twice annually on American Broadcasting Company in the United States.
Since 2009 he has been the voice-over for the CBBC show Copycats.
Dedicoat also works as an after dinner speaker. He is the co-owner of a Routemaster (one of London"s famous red buses) with Charles Nove, Ken Bruce, Steve Madden and David Sheppard.
He is Patron of the Hospital Broadcasting Association and has taken part in the National Hospital Radio Awards both as the voiceover and in person. He is also the President of Hospital Radio Bedside, a hospital radio station that broadcasts to hospitals in Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and Wimborne in the United Kingdom. Dedicoat lives in Harrow.